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CityClan
-- UNDER CONSTRUCTION -- Prologue Willowtail's eyes were closed as the pale brown she-cat enjoyed the warmth of the sun beating down on her fur, soaking down to her skin and chasing the chill from her flesh. She stretched out her legs, purring lazily as she listened to her kits squabble and wrestle with Mallowpetal's kits. RiverClan had been peaceful for quite some time; greenleaf was in full swing, the river was overflowing with fish, and a successful battle had left them with a small chunk of ShadowClan's territory by the lake which would provide much needed woodland prey in leaf-bare and extra fishing grounds in greenleaf. "Now you be the ShadowClan warrior," she heard Minnowkit squeak, and Willowtail slitted one eye open to see her daughter leap at Mallowpetal's kit Greenkit, effectively pinning the smaller she-cat beneath her and screeching a battle cry while Petalkit and Sunnykit piled on top of them, while Greenkit's sister Fallowkit sat and watched with twitching whiskers. "Just gonna let them get your sister, Fallowkit?" Mallowpetal purred, reaching out with her tail to flick it over her ear. The downy-pelted gray kit ducked out of the way and, with a mischevious look in her eyes, flung herself at Petalkit, bowling her over with a strong headbutt to the flank. Willowtail closed her eye again and laid her head on her paws, settling in for a quick nap, when she heard the yowling. She sat bolt upright, ears pricked, while the kits rolled around, unaware of their mothers' wariness as Mallowpetal got to her paws and sniffed at the air. "What was that?" Willowtail murmured to her tabby friend, eyes searching the reeds for some threat to come blundering through. There weren't many warriors in camp; most of them had gone on patrol to the piece of land taken from ShadowClan or fishing to relieve themselves from some of the heat. Mallowpetal only shrugged, calling her kits over with a quiet word. Willowtail did the same, wrapping her brown striped tail around the three of them protectively. The queen jumped as a patrol that had been out fishing on the river exploded into camp like a monster on the loose, all four of them yowling and one or two limping. Lilacstar was pacing in a furious circle just inside the camp with her dark gray fur fluffed up to twice her size. Willowtail's blood ran cold when she realized one member that had left with that hunting patrol was missing. "Twolegs poisoned the river," Oaknose spat as all the RiverClan cats emerged uneasily from their dens to meet the patrol. "All the fish are dead and washed up on shore. There's stupid Twoleg rubbish everywhere." "They threw sharp metal things at us when they saw us. They were by the island, StarClan knows why," Privetpelt growled, her white pelt spiked with fury and patched with red on her shoulder from a shallow gash. "Where's Stonefoot?" Willowtail called in an unsteady voice, unconsciously tightening her tail around her kits as she did so. Lilacstar turned towards her, her amber eyes darkening slightly. "He drank the water. He's dead, Willowtail. I'm so sorry." A claw of grief ripped down her body more intense than she had ever imagined, and she dropped her head low with a quiet moan. She felt her kits' tiny paws on her pelt, tugging sharply. "Willowtail? Where's Father?" Their high-pitched voices tore through her heart, and Willowtail ducked her head to lick each of her daughters fiercely on the head. "He's with StarClan now, little ones," she whispered, feeling Mallowpetal's tail swish down her flank in comfort. "I want to go too!" Sunnykit wailed, her huge blue eyes dark with resolution as she stomped towards the camp entrance. I grabbed her scruff in my jaws before she took two steps and tucked her safely back against my belly. "Not yet, precious," I whispered, touching my muzzle to her head. "One day, but not yet." "What do we do, Lilacstar?" Owlstripe called, his whiskers twitching. A few cats yowled out in agreement, and Lilacstar bowed her head. "We have no choice; there is not enough space by the lake to support four Clans if one territory is lost. We must leave the lake and find another place to live." "What, let ourselves be driven out like SkyClan?" Swiftrain snapped. "Of course not," Lilacstar growled, shooting him a dark look. "We will not be lost like SkyClan was - we will not abandon StarClan! We will not lose the warrior code, and we will not lose our forest roots, no matter where we end up. We will stay together and RiverClan will live on." "Isn't there another option?" Mossflight whimpered, her belly heavy with unborn kits due any day. "The river is dying. The fish cannot be eaten, even if there were any live ones to consume. If we stay here much longer we'll die. Why look weak and crawl begging to the other Clans for help when we know we'll be turned away? We will leave without a word and leave them wondering why we left and where we went. Maybe one day soon we'll return, if the river is clean once again and the threat of Twolegs is gone. But for now, we must move on. We leave at dawn. Ambermist, you're in charge of delivering travelling herbs." The pale ginger medicine cat dipped her head silently. "Bramblemist, ration out whatever fresh-kill we have but try to save something for the morning." The deputy gave a solemn nod. "Everyone, get some rest." Lilacstar flicked her tail to signal the end of the meeting, trying to hide her limp as she trudged toward her den with her head hanging low. "My kits are too young to make such a long journey," Mallowpetal murmured, watching Fallowkit and Greenkit roll around with each other in the dust since Minnowkit, Petalkit and Sunnykit were still tucked into their mother's belly. "We'll make it," Willowtail whispered, nudging her friend's shoulder. "RiverClan is strong and noble. We won't go down without a fight." Chapter One I hadn't always lived in the city. RiverClan hadn't always lived in the disgusting alleyway that had soon become home. And I hadn't always had the strange dreams. {C}Until now. Lately, I've been having the weirdest dreams. Dreams about a spotted brown tabby coming to the alley. And when the brown tabby came, a cat would always drop dead, twitching and spazzing, eyes wide and jaws gapping in a silent plea for help. One cat. My sister. Sunnydawn. And I would be the only cat who would notice. The rest of the Clan would bustle around as if they didn't notice their dying Clanmate or the strange spotted tabby. I would be the only one who saw my sister dying on the ground, but I couldn't move. My paws were always rooted to the spot. I would scream and yowl for help, until my lungs would burst, but no one would hear. I would be alone. And just when Sunnydawn would die - her body would jerk once before her eyes closed - I would be free. I could move. I would lunge for the spotted tabby, wailing in grief for my sister. But the tabby would flick out her claws at the last second and slash my throat. I'd wake then, beside Sunnydawn, and know everything was ok. {C}Then came the day my dream became a reality. ~ ~ ~ Specklefur woke to the high-pitched chirping sound of Birdwhisker's kits. She groaned and rolled over; her dreams had, once again, been disturbed by the nightmares of her killing the two innocent cats; one bright ginger and white, the other a tortoiseshell. She rolled to her paws, still feeling exhausted, though she'd gone to bed so early the day before. Specklefur dragged herself to her paws and clunked out of the den, paws falling like stones. Birdwhisker was lying on her side, sharing tounges with her mate, Snakefur. "Good morning, Specklefur," Birdwhisker greeted her as three tiny kits swarmed over Specklefur's legs. "Let's play badger!" Dawnkit crowed, hooking her tiny claws into Specklefur's pelt. The spotted tabby groaned and shook the kits off as gently as she could. "What's a matter, Specklefur?" Scarletkit wailed as she was knocked to the ground. "Don't you want to play?" "I'm really tired," Specklefur replied. "I didn't get much sleep." Birdwhisker sighed. "Sorry, Specklefur. Come away, kits, she's tired." The kits padded back to their parents, heads and tails drooping. Specklefur turned, ready to head off into the forest, when Hazelstar emerged from her den. Her brown fur was sleep-ruffled, but her eyes were curious as she leaped down from the Highledge and headed towards Specklefur. "Hi there," Hazelstar mewed. "I overheard you say, Specklefur, that you were still very tired." When the spotted tabby nodded slowly, she continued. "I know a place in the territory where you wouldn't be interupted. You could sleep there as long as you like, and come back when you're refreshed. A tired warrior is no help to the Clan." The leader's green eyes were warm. "Thank you," Specklefur sighed. "Sure, I'll go with you." "Excellent." With a swish of her long, fluffy tail, Hazelstar led the way into the forest. Specklefur had to stiffle three yawns on the way, until Hazelstar stopped in front of large bush. "There." Hazelstar pointed to a tunnel at the base of the bush. "Go under there, and you'll come to a small hollow under the bush. You can stand up and you still won't touch the branches. The bottom is padded with moss." Specklefur murmured gratefully as she slid into the tunnel, and emerged in the hollow. Not caring any longer, she flopped onto her side and fell asleep right there, where she was, once again, taken over by the terrifying images of her usual dream. Chapter Two''' I sniffed the air cautiously, letting the harsh scents of the city tickle my nose. It was Rush Hour, and the streets were clogged with monsters full of Twolegs on their way home from work. I knew where I was heading; a narrow alley that was always full of rats and mice. I padded along the sidewalk, purring in contempt at the feel of cement scraping along my tough pads. I passed Scruffy, a ragged gray tabby Kittypet that was always hanging outside his Twoleg's store. I waved my tail in greeting and he grunted back; today was Thursday, an off day for Scruffy. I soon came to the narrow gap between two buildings. This one was only open on one side, which made catching prey easier; until the prey found the gaps in the back wall and knew how to escape. Not long after the alley had come into view, I saw the sleek body of a rat digging in the trash on the ground. I dropped low and glidded towards it, the gravel underpaw scratching my paws. When I was close enough, I leaped on the rat, biting it's throat as quickly as possible so it wouldn't make any noise. If anything makes any noise in the alleys, all the prey disappears, and you have to wait ages for it to come out again. I tossed the rat onto a wooden box where I could collect it later and scoured the rest of the alley. An orange tomcat poked his head out from a barrel. "Petalblaze!" He drawled, dragging himself out of the barrel and padding up to me. "Long time no see! What brings you here?" "Oh, Mickey!" I gasped in surprise. "I thought you'd moved to Dirk's alley?" Mickey coughed a laugh. "Naaaw, Dirk's a nice ol' fleabag an' all, but der was hardly any prey aroun' those parts. I s'posed I'd rather be lonely 'n starve, y'know?" I nodded quickly. "Oh, of course. How is Dirk lately?" I could see a mouse scurrying along the ground; would it be rude of me to hunt it when this was technically Mickey's alley again? "Aw, same ol', same ol' Dirk. Very touchy. He finally settled down wit dat pretty youn'un, ya know it?" I blinked in surprise. "Clarabell? But she was just a kit last time I saw her!" "Yea, Clarabool! Dat's da one! And yea, she is just a little youn' thing, but she's might in 'love' with dat ol' spike-heart Dirk." Wow. Clarabell had been a kittypet; I couldn't believe she'd left her Twolegs for Dirk, who couldn't possibly love her. "Well, I hope they're happy. So long, Mickey. I'll spread the news that you're back." I paused and tossed my rat to him. "Sorry I hunted in your alley." Mickey snorted. "I dun want it. This place is crawlin' with em. You can have this un', too." The old orange tom turned and caught the mouse I'd seen earlier in his jaws. He crushed it with his teeth and dropped it at my paws. He was grinning. "Well, Mickey, thanks, but-" "You'd offend meh if ya dun take it," he grumbled, his yellow eyes growing wide. "I catch ya a nice, warm mouse, and ya won' even take it?" I sighed; he'd hit my weak spot, and he knew it when he broke out in a grin. I picked up the two pieces of prey. "Thank you, Mickey. May StarClan light your path." ~ ~ ~ Specklefur woke with a snort. It was nearly sunhigh. She groaned and laid back down. Sunhigh! Specklefur shot to her paws, shaking moss from her spotted tabby pelt. She squirmed out from under the bush and pelted back to camp. She was still tired, but grateful for the extra time to sleep. When she got back to camp, her Clanmates were hurrying about, eyes wide with fear. "Featherpelt?" Specklefur pulled the silver and white tabby aside. "What's wrong? Why does everyone look so nervous?" "Remember when Hazelstar took over that bit of RiverClan territory when they were driven out?" Featherpelt asked. "You know, when the Twolegs left?" Specklefur nodded. "Well, Shadestar came here and told Hazelstar that they were going to take that piece of territory back. Hazelstar is preparing the Clan for battle." Specklefur snorted. "Why? Just because Shadestar said she wanted the territory back doesn't mean they're going to attack!" "Shadestar said they would." "Oh." Specklefur gasped. "Why didn't Hazelstar send someone to find me? What if ShadowClan had attacked while I was gone?" Specklefur didn't wait for a reply, and flung herself into the nursery. Birdwhisker was there, instructing Dawnkit, Scarletkit, and Graykit on what to do if a strange cat comes into the nursery. "You see this hole? You run out it; don't hesitate. Then just keep running. Make sure you sniff around a lot. If you scent anything strange and yucky, veer away from it. Do you understand me?" The kits looked spooked, and they nodded. "Hi, Birdwhisker," Specklefur mewed. "I'll help Snakefur reinforce the walls with you." The black tom was in a corner, weaving brambles into the gaps. Specklefur grabbed a tendril in her teeth and used her paws to guide it into a gaping hole. Snakefur and Specklefur had just finished their job when a yowl sounded from the Highledge. "Cats of ThunderClan! A patrol has spotted ShadowClan in our territory, heading for our camp! Please be ready!" Speckelfur and Snakefur both took a post outside the nursery at the sound of Hazelstar's yowl. A short time later, the entire of ShadowClan rushed in. Chapter Three I raced along the sidewalk, my paws being scraped over and over by the cement. I felt the hot breath of the dogs on my tail, and howled, forcing my legs to go faster. I'd made the mistake of entering The Packs' alley after dark. They only hung out in their alley once the sun went down; during the day, they scavenge the streets for food. I huffed; I was so far from the camp, and the dogs were steadily gaining on me. I could only think of one way to escape them. I swerved, heading for the center of the city, where stores were the busiest. The dogs kept pace with me easily. I didn't need to wait long before a Twoleg walked out of one of the stores; the door was wide open, and this was probably my one and only chance. She darted between the legs of the Twoleg and raced into the store. I heard the Twoleg shout with surprise as the dogs smashed into it in a flurry of yelping fur. I had only seconds. I whipped around, not noticing the store at all - Twoleg things still confused me terribly - and managed to wriggle between the dogs as they were trying to smash their way into the store. Ha! I thought to myself as I flew down the sidewalk, heading home. Those dogs may have strength and speed on their side, but certainly not brains! Not long after that, the familiar narrow, beat-up sidewalk came into view, and I slowed. The dogs didn't come here. It was like we had boundaries of our own. "Petalblaze!" Oilpelt, my best friend, was racing to meet me. "Where have you been?! It's nearly dark." He looked up to the sky; we were far enough away from the busy city that we could see the stars and blue-black sky. "Sorry," I apologized as we walked to the alley. "I went down the wrong alley, and the pack chased me through the whole city." Oilpelt froze, his blue eyes wide. "You...got..chased by...the Pack?" I sighed and nodded. "But...! Why'd you go down their alley?!" "I didn't mean too! I didn't realize I was in that part of the city, and..." I shrugged and bounded around the corner and into the first alley. It was abandoned; no Twoleg had been there in a long time. Wooden boxes, barrels, cardboard, and other things provided dens. I wanted a poultice for my paws, but I needed to rest first. I dashed to one of the wooden crates, the one where I shared a den with my sisters Sunnyydawn and Minnowsplash, and squished through the gap where a plank was missing. I curled up in my nest, made up of soft, soggy paper scraps, and fell asleep almost instantly. ~ ~ ~ Specklefur let out a fearsome screech as hordes of cats streamed into camp. One of them, a big black tom, threw Blossomdust aside like a piece of fresh-kill and headed straight for the nursery. Specklefur felt Snakefur tense beside her, and the two warriors dropped into crouches simultaneously. The black tom leaped and landed square on Specklefur's back. The tabby screeched and bucked, and heard Snakefur snarl. The black tom squirmed before sliding to the ground, off of Speckelfur's back. She whirled around to see Snakefur pinning the brute down, battering his belly mercilessly with churning back paws. Specklefur darted forward and claws his nose so vicously that blood spewed. "That's for clawing up my fur!" The spotted tabby yowled, glaring at the bald patches on her back with a grimace. The ShadowClan warrior hissed and jerked, but his shoulders were pinned by Snakefur's huge paws. "I think he's had enough," Raggedears growled as he raced past. He paused to embed his teeth in the black toms ear and yanked his head up, leaving a nasty nick. The ShadowClan cat screeched and jerked, and Snakefur finally stepped aside, letting the tom disappear in the swarm of fighting cats. "Well done," Raggedears praised Speckelfur before leaping back into battle. Speckelfur stuck her head into the nursery to see Birdwhisker trying to hush her wailing kits. "The big stinky cat tried to get us!" Graykit sobbed, hiding under his sisters' fur. "He would've eaten us!" Scarletkit seemed horrified. "That would have been awful, if his breath stinks half as much as his fur." Birdwhisker glanced at Specklefur and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, children," Snakefur murmured, sliding in beside Speckelfur. "We'll keep the big scary cats away from the nursery. No one will harm you." "Snakefur! We need you!" Speckelfur glanced outside to see three smaller warriors struggling to pin a huge black and white tom. Snakefur sighed and dashed out. Specklefur resumed her position outside the nursery. She hissed as two screeching cats rolled past, nearly taking out the nursery wall. ThunderClan had chased out most of the ShadowClan intruders, but a few still remained, being battered mercilessly by Speckelfur's Clanmates. She was about to duck into the nursery to tell Birdwhisker it was nearly over when claws scored upward across her flank. Specklefur bellowed in pain and surprise as she was flung to the side. She wriggled around to get a better look at her attacker. The huge gray she-cat was smirking as Specklefur struggled to her paws, swaying a bit as the blood flowed like a waterfall from her side. The tabby lunged, but was exhausted, and missed her target; she sailed past the ShadowClan cat and came to a jarring stop as she hit the ground. In one swift movement, the gray cat was over her, pinning Specklefur to the ground with one forepaw. Specklefur could only watch in horror as the other paw swung down and sliced through her throat like a twig through a leaf. Chapter Four I woke to here the sounds of angry hissing and argument. I liifted my head, blinking grogilly, and felt warm fur brush my side. "Whats going on?" Minnowsplash mumbled, blinking open icy blue eyes. "Dunno," I replied, shoving to my paws and out the den into camp. Goldenstream, the deputy, was facing a blocky gray tom I didn't recognize. My fur fluffed up when I realized there was a stranger in the camp, and I moved to stand in front of the box where Ebonytail and her three kits nested. Restless mewls were coming from inside, and I prayed the kits would stay put. "You've no right to this alley," Goldenstream was snarling. The tom's fur was bushed, his ears flat. "My cats lived here long before you. The alley was too close to Nofurs at the time, and we had to relocate to keep alive. But now they are gone. Our alley is too small, our cats too many. We need the space back." There was an infuriated yowl, and I turned my head just as our leader Bramblestar leaped leaped onto the tall barrel where she made announcements. "No!" She yowled, tail lashing. "We made this our home. You left. You've no right to this alley anymore." The strange gray tom curled his lip. "Fine. Keep the alley. For now. But my cats and I will be back. And we'll be prepared to fight for this alley." With a final snarl, the gray tom turned and fled, turning the corner and disappearing into the city. I stared at Sunnydawn in surprise as my sister padded up to my shoulder. Goldenstream turned to Bramblestar with a shriek of rage. "Did you hear him?" The deputy demanded, tail lashing. Bramblestar rolled her eyes. "No, someone stuffed moss into my ears for the last few minutes and I didn't catch what he said." Goldenstream bristled. "What are we going to do about it?" She demanded, hackles rising in anger. "As of now? Nothing. That tom said they'll be back, so we'll be ready when they do." Bramblestar flexed her shoulders before leaping off the crate and turning for the box where she kept her nest. "Organize the hunting patrols, Goldenstream. The pile's looking a little small." Goldenstream's eyes flared, but she turned and sent out a few hunting patrols. I was put in a patrol with Oilpelt, Fallowpelt, and Privetpelt. As we left the alley, eyes glacing around anxiously to make sure the strange cat wasn't hiding, waiting to pounce. I looked back over my shoulder and saw Ebonytail crawling out of her crate, whiskers twitching as her tiny kits squabbled about. The last two elders were stretched out in a somewhat dry patch of sunlight. The apprentices were sharpening their claws on the side of a wooden crate, getting ready for the day's training. Mates Hailfeather and Metalgaze were sharing tounges, a half-eaten rat sitting at their paws. The day seemed so ordinary, so normal other than the strange appearance of the tom. So why did I feel like something big, something life-changing was going to happen soon? Chapter Six '''Coming soon!